Hunter Bigge Responsive, Rays Expected to Update Condition

An update on the condition of Tampa Bay Rays reliever Hunter Bigge is expected Friday after a scary scene the previous night at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The pitcher was struck on the right side of the face by a foul ball during the Rays’ 4-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Bigge, who is currently on the injured list, was in the dugout and leaning against the railing when he was struck by the 105.1 mph line drive foul ball off the bat of Adley Rutschman in the seventh inning. Rays pitcher Connor Seabold threw the pitch.

Bigge never lost consciousness. He spent the night in local hospital for expected to having further testing and evaluation. The initial update from the Rays was positive.

“Certainly you feel for Hunter and his wife. I can't imagine what she and he were going through,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said, according to MLB.com. “Scary for everybody, none more than them.”

Hunter Bigge carted off in stretcher

Bigge, 27, wasn’t hit in the eye, and was both lucid and able to hold a conversation. He was put in a neck brace before being carted off by medics, giving a thumbs up sign on his way off the field.

The game was stopped to tend to Bigge. Rays teammates were understandably worried.

“Being out in the outfield, I didn’t really see much. I heard it, though. I was 350 feet away. I heard every bit of it,” left fielder Jake Mangum said, according to MLB.com. “It was just scary.”

The Orioles were just as concerned.

“It’s really scary. It’s terrifying. I mean, we all sit in these dugouts every night, and in a lot of ways you kind of feel like sitting ducks a lot of nights,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said, according to MLB.com. “It’s just terrifying. Wish the best for the player that got hit.”